Manila (NAIA)
My first stop was Malapascua, Cebu. There are international flights in Cebu but I decided that this was my first stop after I had bought the tickets to Manila. Duh.
In any case, I arrived at the airport and the first things I did were get a local SIM Card (I opted for Smart with unlimited Data, 100 minutes talk, 100 minutes text for 30 days for ₱2,000 / $50 CAD – their plans are so much better than in Canada). After which, I walked around for the best exchange rates to get some cash. Word to the wise, if you’re scuba diving or doing a lot of other things in rural areas in the Philippines: get twice as much cash than you think you might need because most places don’t accept card nor Apple Pay. GCash, which is like Venmo in the US (Canada’s more on direct transfers via email) is widely accepted but if you don’t have a Filipino permanent address reflected on one of your official ID’s, you essentially can’t sign up for it.
I opened Grab, which is like Asia’s Uber. I tried to order my first ride to the hotel, which was only 5 minutes away, but it asked for confirmation on my Visa which was attached to my Canadian phone number. I ultimately ended up calling my bank to change the number over to my Filipino SIM card but that didn’t happen until later.
Kanto
“Kanto” in Tagalog means “corner” so it’s like a shop by the corner type thing. Yes, I was up by 5am. My flight was around 8 and I was jetlagged.
The next day, I ordered breakfast using Grab. Oh man I was too excited with the pandesals and Filipino food!
I was too excited that I didn’t realize that these were plant-based. I have no qualms with plant-based but I thought the serving would’ve been bigger. In any case I ordered a couple of items.
Ah! I remember the feeling of sitting there and anticipating the delivery. The hotel had a dining area but my booking didn’t come with free breakfast + their hours weren’t conducive to my flight time.
I knew I was ordering something that was, probably, by local standards, expensive… but I didn’t care. It’s not that I’m rich but the exchange rate worked in my favour and I saved up for this trip. I’m pretty meticulous with my money (annoyingly so sometimes) and I can be particular with my spending.
For reference, roughly:
₱40 = $1 CAD
₱50 = $1USD
₱60 = €1
After eating, I checked out and headed to the airport.
Cebu
Honestly, besides the flight, there is nothing nor anything official that is on Google that will help you get around. I found my way by reading other blogs and an advice from a friend. So, here’s how to get to Malapascua:
- Fly from Manila to Mactan Airport
- Get a cab (or a Grab ride) to the Cebu North Bus Terminal – 45ish minutes
- Take a van or bus to Maya Port – 2-3 hours
- Take a boat to Malapascua – 45ish minutes
The Cebuano from Medelin
The cab I got actually dropped me off at an area to the side of the terminal. It’s really not advisable to go anywhere unofficial but… it felt right, so I did it. I was the last passenger in the van and the seat I got wasn’t even a proper seat. It was a box right beside one of the seats by the sliding door. It turned out to be a great ride as I had a very insightful conversation with a local from Medellin, Cebu.
“May lahi ka ba? (Are you mixed?)” he asked. The direct translation would’ve been “Do you have a race?” lol. It’s one of those things that doesn’t make any sense if you translate it word for word.
“Wala. Pilipino lang. Pero lahat naman tayo may lahi. (No. Just Filipino. But we’re all mixed, really).” I replied.
He nodded. “Mukha ka kasing mestiza (It’s ’cause you look half – either white or Spanish though “mestiza is traditionally referred to Spanish as it stemmed from during those times).”
Yes, I’m aware of how I look. I’m always going on about colonial mentality which is significantly rampant in Filipino culture (whitening creams, ashamed of accents and/or flat nose etc) though I see the irony on my behalf because like he said, I look mestiza (and while I still detect a little bit of an accent specially when I’m inebriated lol I mostly sound North American these days). It’s not my fault though and since I reap the social (sometimes industrial) advantages, the least I can do is acknowledge it.
Beauty is, arguably, another tool like money and power along with other materialistic things. I’m not beyond vanity, mind you. I do body mods after all since that is my definition of beauty for myself.
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Malapascua Island
I was immediately greeted by a canvasser when we got off the boat. He was trying to promote island hopping and another dive shop but I had already booked with Johandive which had lodging and a dive shop. I figured to do that to make life a little easier for myself since I was diving anyway… but things never turn out the way we plan, most especially when you’re backpacking.
There are no modes of transportation on the island because it’s so small, except for motorbikes where you hop on the back and they put your luggage or backpack in the front. I opted for that in the beginning because… I didn’t know what I was doing lol. When I found out that the lodging was only a 10-15 minute walk from the port, I stopped going on rides and just walked. I usually mix electrolytes with my drink (get a sugar-free one like Biosteel, which is super effective) which was much needed here; super hot and humid.
it’s funny yeah like I actually barely ate during this trip; so much so that I felt myself, inadvertently, going in a ketosis state that afternoon. It’s not a bad thing but if you’re not deliberately doing keto, your brain gets confused and insomnia or keto insomnia becomes a thing. I don’t know the exact science but I’ve done keto for years to know that if I don’t fully commit to it, I’m essentially gonna have problems with sleeping. I was already still jetlagged so I loaded up on carbs just to get myself out of that state.
As I found out, when it’s too hot, your body decreases your appetite to protect itself from overheating. I just bought food to go and ate in a cool area.
The lodging was really nice but I found that they’re a smaller dive shop and they don’t go on trips unless they have enough people (makes sense), which doesn’t always happen.
I did think about the island hopping bit because I was going to be on the island for 6 days. I know it’s a long time but I figured, it’s my first stop and I’m probably going to be jetlagged for half of it so I decided to give myself that time to kind of adjust my headspace sorta “norm.” lol. Cute. Little did I know the culture shock I was to experience on my very first diving day.
I called the canvasser who hooked me up with Atlas Divers (great crew!). It was late afternoon when we connected so it had gotten dark after we did the transactions in the shop. He led me to a vegetarian restaurant called VillaPotenciana Restaurant. It was delicious and the place was pretty. They even sold tribal masks, one of which I purchased.
I initially booked 4 dives; 1 being the refresher, 2 fun dives (shallow water, just around the shore to start me off with), and a night dive.
Yeah… that didn’t happen. lol
The last time I went diving, I almost drowned. It was a very traumatic experience for me and I’m not feeling particularly inclined to write much about the details but I’ll say this: I was able to execute my safety training (which was nice) and I was fine but mentally, I was not.
It took me two days to finish my refresher. I was actually coming to terms that I might not see the sharks as I was pretty upset when I found out that I was having problems.
“Did you finally finish it?” Eliot (from Belgium).
“Not yet. Last time I went diving there was an equipment issue 30m/100 ft underwater. I almost drowned. Apparently, it’s heavily embedded in there”, I pointed to the back of my head
“Oh yeah. That would do it,” he replied.
I was doing the course with his girlfriend, Sheryl. “Where are you from?” I asked.
“Belgium.”
“Oh cool. Are you fully certified then?” He wasn’t taking any courses. He was with a different divemaster.
“Yeah, I got certified in Belgium. It’s way more intensive there like it’s a total of about 9 weeks to finish it unlike here.”
“That’s crazy!”
“Yeah. It’s about 2-3 weeks of just swimming and slowly getting into it. I have to say though it’s good for preparation. I did the night dive last night and it was chaos. People were bumping into each other and I couldn’t tell who was what. I’m like ‘What is this?'”
“Oh yeah. Here it’s just like 3 days or so. What’s to see in Belgium?”
“Nothing, really. Most are dead corals though every now and then we would see a small fish and we’d be so happy.”
I paused, “So, like, why do you dive there?”
“It’s the same question I’ve been asking myself,” he replied.
Malapascua Dive Spots – Atlas Divers
Somewhere in the convo (I forgot how) it came up that he was half-Arabic (I forgot the country).
“Yeah, I’ve already checked your tattoos.” he said.
I have “Maktub” in Arabic on my right ankle and “Fitrah” on my chest.
“Yeah, I have a friend who’s Palestinian. She grew up in Montreal and lived in Toronto for a bit. She taught me all these things about Islam. ‘Maktub’ I got from one of my favourite books though, ‘The Alchemist’ by Paulo Coelho. It roughly means ‘It is written’ or ‘fate.'”
He nodded. He knew the book.
“And then on my chest is ‘Fitrah’ for like innate human nature, like, Oneness with existence sorta deal. I wish I spoke Arabic though.” I said.
“Oh yeah it’s a difficult language to learn,” he said.
“And the writing…” I added.
“Yeah, the writing is right to left.” he said.
“Oh. That’s even worse! It’s good to know different languages though.”
“Absolutely. I’ve always wanted to visit Canada. Do you know French?” he asked.
“Unfortunately not. I actually graduated high school in the Philippines right before we moved to Canada where they put me in Grade 11. The curriculums are just different I guess but it was good they did that because I would’ve been so culture-shocked had I gone to college right away. Plus, like, yeah, French is technically our second language but it’s not like here in the Philippines like English is the second language and everyone speaks it. Out in Canada, it’s spoken mostly in Quebec. I know Tagalog though and I tend to pick up Spanish easily when I practice. It’s interesting, these things. Tagalog and English don’t have masculine/feminine on inanimate objects though. That’s usually what trips me up like huh how is this table a woman? In Tagalog, these things are joined or truncated. Like the table is feminine, yeah so it’s ‘La Mesa.’ In Tagalog, we turned it into one word so it’s just ‘Lamesa.’ It’s interesting to me, these things, especially how it evolves when you go cross-cultural and then it can give you insight on society, history etc you know.” I said.
He nodded, “Absolutely. I’m from the southern part of Belgium and I’m lucky because so many different languages are spoken there.”
He listed out 5 languages! Good for him!
“North America is…”
“Oh we’re so young,” I said. “We’re only like 150 years old. Not a lot of history. And most people only know English. It’s tricky, yeah, again with cross-cultural things because when you know different languages, it helps shape, affect, and expand the way you think…”
He nodded, “Yeah, and when someone knows only one language and then you know that language and some other language, you’re essentially adjusting to their way of thinking but if you’re in a conversation or any kind of relationship…” he motioned his hands to indicate a “give and take” message.”
“Yeah, it should be a symbiosis,” I said.
“Yes!” he gleefully agreed.
*Never too late to learn another language though being friends with people from different backgrounds – and having real talk with them about in-depth topics (not just daily grind things but philosophies and worldview things) – could make up for not knowing another language. Also, just because you’ve travelled to certain countries, it doesn’t automatically mean you’re cultured unless you’ve immersed yourself. Sometimes I go to Mexico just to dive and not really immerse myself in the culture and I don’t go on claiming otherwise. FYI*
I kept panicking during my refresher. It wasn’t until I got stubborn and allowed myself to openly whine and bitch about the things I had to do that didn’t want to do that was I able to successfully get through it #ExpressYourself lol
Sometimes we have to let these out of our systems, as long as it’s not directed towards anyone and is just an outward expression (please don’t take this out of context) like I tell my clients to cuss when I’m tattooing them, I’m personally all for it.
The direction it will take is tied to emotional intelligence.
“I finally passed it! I was already coming into terms that maybe I won’t see the sharks and just when I accepted it, it happened!” I told Eliot. I was overjoyed even though I was thinking the worst at the onset, “Oh no! Is this the end of my diving? Am I ever going to be in the water again? Is this chapter of my life done?” 😭
But there was something else that upset me more.
Oysters
Everyone thought I was Ms Fancy Pants for loving seafood, in Toronto. But where I come from it’s common and some of which are actually considered to be poor man’s food.
I didn’t value it then just like they don’t value it now… and when you’re unaware of your worth (or I suppose if you’re in poverty), you make way for greed to take advantage of you.
I mean, I was talking to fellow diver tourists from Belgium who was all “I’d have to pay hundreds of Euros for this and they’re like ‘Whatever’” just like how I used to be.
I was so mindblown and they’re like “meh” and I’m like “bruh.”
I know better now (knowledge acquired via privileges) and I can’t help but think about how much of those pretty pennies do these people, who did the dirty work, get?
If it’s so fancy, how come they’re still struggling earning to make a living?
It upset me so much that – well, probably paired with the jetlag, tiredness, me being an HSP, and then being socially/culturally shocked – I cried myself to sleep that night. I mean, I already know these things in theory just as I’ve come across them before. It’s different from back then, I guess, because I’ve been living in my Canadian bubble. It’s different too when you’re up, close, personal, and immersed in it vs knowing in theory.
I wish there was something measurable and significant I could do and since I’m not in a position of power nor enough privileges to be able to, I write and vlog in hopes of spreading awareness and maybe more people will care, and then maybe eventually it will change.
“You should charge more when you sell the oysters.” I told them.
“Mga 500 isang pala (About 500 pesos per pail – that’s about $13 CAD),” they replied.
“That’s nothing. We pay $20-30 sometimes a hundred or more per plate which is a very small portion of that pail. You need to double or triple your price. That’s still cheap out there,” I insisted.
They laughed. They’re really nice out here unlike in Boracay which is very touristy and there’s so much corruption and deceit by tourists and locals alike.
“No. No. You need to charge more. People who are already well-to-do are making a big buck out of this and you get peanuts. It’s unfair,” I told them.
“Sanay na ho kami ma’am. Basta may makakain. (We’re used to it ma’am. As long as we have something to eat),” they said.
“Yes, but your freediving skills are big game. You should charge more,” I kept telling them.
We went on a little convo about how this hits me on a personal level because I’m Filipino and we immigrated to escape poverty, like what they’re experiencing. I told them out there we learn how to play the game (even though we’re still constantly losing) because of discrimination, historical oppression and abuse etc you know.
They just nodded. They know… but at the same time, they don’t want to dupe anyone (the price they charge is normal).
Just because it’s popular, or “normal”, it doesn’t make it right. They’re just adhering to what’s contextually right… but in the grander scheme of things, it’s pretty fucked up.
However, I do admire them for doing what they believe to be right which is how I know I can trust them for what comes next.
Thresher Sharks
We joked around a bit. They were cool and they were really stoked that they had a Filipino client because most of the tourists in the area are Europeans, who are notorious for hating Americans lol. They tend to ask me where I’m from though they already know I’m North American because of my accent. When I tell them I’m from Canada, their faces light up and they go on about how they want to visit Canada but not the U.S.
The U.S. just gets a bad rep with politics and the media. I would stick by New York a bit because I see the pros and I even tell them to go visit Brooklyn and to make sure to take the subway if they like avant-garde, couture, and street sort of art. I personally love the grimy sort of charm of New York subways. I’ve seen and can imagine, some crazy shit ala Lady Gaga or Thierry Mugler sort of fashion using it as a backdrop.
Don’t shoot the messenger.
But anyway, the boat crew – all local – were jokes.
We had some real talk along with the jokes. From what I gather, making a living is difficult and it’s a constant struggle so they stay sane by changing their outlook and making a piss out of things when they can.
Great attitude 🥰
I actually got myself a private divemaster as per their advice, which I agreed with. I made a point to let him know that I had issues so he knows what he’s dealing with. I told him about techniques I’m using (countdown from 10, singing, having a song in my head – really worked).
“Oh, that happens a lot. It happened to me several times. It’s like a meditation. Breathe.” said the Spaniard in reply to when I told him I was panicking.
Everyone, crew & fellow divers, were so sweet and encouraging. They gave me fist bumps and smiles all around. “You got this,” was the gist of it. In case you’re reading this, thank you 🙏🏼 meant a lot to me 🥰❤️🤗
I’ve gone diving with others who’ve panicked before and I’ve given them encouragement as well. It took me some time to catch up on giving myself some compassion. We can’t really extend that if we don’t have it for ourselves.
Atlas Divers, by the way, was the only boat with a second floor and hammocks underneath: super epic win. The ride to the dive spots were about 2 hours away so these things were very much appreciated and enjoyed. It’s amazing how the little things can really count.
There was a Spaniard, the 2 Belgians I met already, another Belgian, a Scottish couple, and a Filipina-Canadian (myself) with the local crew. It was a great, mixed crowd which I thoroughly enjoyed. It’s really not just all about the whole equality thing but when you get a diverse set of people coming from many backgrounds and cultural/social realities, you get different perspectives and input. I can’t stress this enough: the more perspectives you have – that are working towards the same or a similar goal – you’re more likely to spark innovation.
The Spaniard was sweet and also super jokes. He’s gone diving with thresher sharks the day before and he’s doing it because, as he put it, “I love it. It’s like I make love to the sharks.” lol. Classic.
“Exhale small amounts when the shark comes close. Just little bubbles (he demos it). If you exhale a lot then they go off,” he tipped us.
It’s funny yeah because I did this, it’s now part of my “normal” but it was defo not the case right before. We were all apprehensive (except for the Spaniard who couldn’t wait to make love to the sharks).
“It’s kind of counter-intuitive, what we’re doing,” said Eliot.
“Yeah, I’m nervous too,” I said.
Everyone else was quiet and nervous. We all had to get up at 5am because we had to be at the shop at 5:45 too so we were scared and low on energy lol. Good times.
They started off lurking in murky water. They would swim in circles (not circling us though that would give me a heart attack). For 2-3 minutes they stayed in the murky areas but then they would come closer and closer… and closer.
It was kind of cute how curious they are and it was interesting how mostly un-terrified I was. One of the sharks got pretty close like 2-3metres/6-10ft close… yeeeaaah. At that point, I kept looking at my divemaster and signaling, “Sharks. Too close.” To which he would signal back, “It’s okay.”
They were pretty harmless though. It’s mostly just media brainwashing and a headspace thing. I don’t know about the others but part of the reason why I did it is because well it’s cool and I wanted to break my own barriers.
And my barriers I did. We actually did several dives to see the threshers. Honestly, after the last dive, I was done. We crept this one shark lol like we hid by the corals to get this shot.
After this, honestly, I was like, “Okay. I wanna swim around and see other fish, man.”
We were all super chill after the dive. It’s like, cool. That was actually fine. Whatevs lol. We all started chatting and I found out that Eliot and Sheryl were travelling for a couple more months with an open itinerary. I directed them to Thailand, specifically Koh Lanta.
“Yeah, we were avoiding Phuket. I heard it’s party town, drunk people, prostitution abuse, petty crimes…” he said
I nodded. “Yeah, I know. It’s why I avoided Boracay.” (✌️ I heard it’s different now but it has left a sour taste in my tongue – it’s where I learned diving and accumulated dive logs. I had fun then but I was in my early 20’s so it’s a different story now).
I showed him photos from my dive in Similan Islands and Kled Kao Wreck.
“Kled Kao Wreck is a spot you can access from Phuket and surrounding islands. Similan Islands you can do a day trip but it’s not really worth it like it’ll take 5 hours to get there. It has to be a liveaboard. I did an overnight liveaboard with 7 dives, including a night dive.”
He made the money gesture with his fingers (liveaboards are notoriously expensive like 5k/week is not uncommon). I laughed. “No, no. This one was affordable. This was 4 years ago so I won’t know pricing now but back then it was like $700 Canadian… that’s like $550 USD,” I said.
“Hmmm. About €450?” he asked.
“Yeah, back then it was.” I wrote it on my iPhone Notepad which he took a photo of.
On my walk back to my room from the dive shop, I found myself thinking, “Cool. I’ve seen the sharks. I’m bored. Time to bounce.”
I packed up my stuff to get ready for the ride back the next day.
I actually had an overnight stay in Cebu City because my flight was around 8:30 and I wouldn’t be able to make that if I’m coming straight from the island. Ferries don’t start running until around 6 or so.
Cebu City
I explored a bit in Cebu City and here are some highlights:
Yap San Diego Ancestral House
This is one of the oldest houses in the Philippines, apparently. It was built during Spanish colonial times with Chinese settlers during which. It’s been there since the 1600’s and has been passed down to several generations. It was kinda creepy in a cool way.
Cebu City Night Market
I lucked out on my lodging (Cebu City Backpacker’s Hostel) because it happened to be right in front of the night market.
I ate way too much street food lol.
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Next Up, Philippines: Part 2 – La Union
Gelene 